Watch Triple H Win His First WWE Match With An RKO 22 Years Ago

Triple H has celebrated a lot of milestones in pro wrestling, and he’s got another one today. May 15, 2017 marks the twenty-two year anniversary of his first televised match in a WWE ring.

It’s been a long road to the top for Triple H. The fourteen-time WWE Champion has fought hard to get where he is and now he finds himself as the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative for WWE and responsible for the success of a majority of the roster. But Triple H didn’t start at the top. In fact, the beginnings for Triple H were about as basic as they can get for a WWE superstar.

Triple H was already known for his work in WCW and many thought he was a good technician in the ring. He wasn’t happy in WCW and Vince brought him in. His character was initially a blue blood from Greenwich, Connecticut named Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Trips’ first televised match in a WWE ring was against a man called John Crystal. You might know Crystal better as Mike Sweet or Mike Khoury, then again you might not even know him at all. But Khoury is a former MEWF Heavyweight and Tag Team Champion if that helps anything. He apparently only wrestled for four years though.

This match was a squash to highlight Triple H’s ability. You can watch as the man who would later be known as the Cerebral Assassin does his methodical thing. Every move seems to be plotted and delivering pain was on Helmsley’s mind.

Another interesting thing is Hunter didn’t end the match with his famous Pedigree. Instead he used an RKO/Diamond Cutter looking move that Vince McMahon just called “a maneuver.” It’s also interesting how Triple H traded in that aristocratic bow for a crotch chop.

We wonder if Vince had any idea the man he was calling the debut match for would eventually be his son-in-law. Of course he didn’t, but that’s just one of the great things about pro wrestling. Because you never know where someone could end up or how far they will go.

Aaron Varble hasn’t just been writing for more than a decade in various formats including sketch comedy, stand up, television, radio, and other various projects; nor is he just another professional wrestling fan with a master's degree in journalism and Tourette’s syndrome. He's always looking to explore the why not with the why and the how come along with the how. Follow on Twitter @TheVarble